The Malaysian government has announced plans to launch a centralized digital platform that will allow employers to recruit foreign workers directly, aiming to dismantle the long-standing dominance of private recruitment agents in the country’s labor market.
The move follows years of complaints from lawmakers, labor unions, and civil society organizations about abuses linked to the agent-driven recruitment system, including excessive fees, misleading job offers, and weak oversight that has allowed exploitative practices to persist in the foreign labor supply chain.
The initiative, disclosed on Tuesday, is designed to lower recruitment costs, curb worker exploitation, and increase transparency in the employment of migrant labor across Malaysia.
The announcement was made by Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources, Datuk Ramakrishnan, who has been leading recent reforms targeting labor governance.
Ramakrishnan said reliance on intermediaries has left many foreign workers vulnerable even before arriving in Malaysia. Prospective workers are often compelled to pay large sums to agents in their home countries, sometimes through loans, placing them in financial distress from the outset.
He added that many workers later discover that their actual jobs, wages, or conditions differ from what was initially promised.
To address these challenges, the government is introducing a digital hiring system that enables employers and foreign workers to interact directly. The platform will display job roles, salary details, and employment terms upfront, ensuring agreements are transparent before contracts are finalized.
The Human Resources Ministry said the platform is part of broader efforts to reform labor migration policies and align them with international standards.
Ramakrishnan emphasized that the government is committed to protecting migrant workers and restoring confidence in Malaysia’s labor market. He said eliminating exploitative recruitment structures is essential to addressing forced labor, debt bondage, and modern slavery, issues that have drawn both domestic and international attention.
The government has advised employers and foreign workers to familiarize themselves with the new system once it becomes operational. Only authorized and transparent recruitment channels will be recognized going forward, and stakeholders are urged to comply strictly with labor regulations to ensure fair treatment of migrant workers.
